Illuminated hotel register



May 6, 1924. 1,493,106

, I D. R. COLLINS ILLUMINATED vHOTEL RE GI STER Filed Aug. 6, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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INVENTOR:

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES DAVID R. COLLINS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ILLUMINA'IED norm. nnersrna.

Application filed August 6, 1923. Serial No. 655,906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID R. COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and 6 State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Hotel Registers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to illuminated dis 10 play devices in general, and more particularly to a device adapted to be used as a registerin hotels, club houses and the like. The object of the invention is to provide a register of new and novelconstruction particularly useful in hotels as a register of guests and an advertising or display medium.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a top view of the device mounted on a counter.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of Fig. 1 as seen from the lower end of the latter.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of Fig. 1 as seen from the upper end of the latter, in reduced scale, some minor parts being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the device with its top cover and register board removed to expose the illuminating means. In this view the device is so that the right side of it is the lower side illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on line 5-5 in Fig. 4 and showing a modified mounting or base.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view on line 6-6 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation on line 7-7 in Fig. 5.

Re erring to the drawings by reference numerals, 8 designates a horizontally disposed, shallow and box-like frame or cabinet with a low rear wall 9, a higher front wall 10, and two side walls 11 =connecting the ends of the first walls and having their upper edges extending horizontally from the wall 10 then offset as at 11' downwardly and thence sloping rearwardly to the top of the rear wall 9. The cabinet is provided with three inner walls 11 and 10 spaced about equi-distant from the respective outer walls and forming with the rear wall 9 a central, rectangular, upwardly opening. cavity 12 in the cabinet. Except for the cavity 12 the cabinet is provided with a cover 13--1415, of which 13 is a horizontal section extending across the front and highest part, between walls 10 and 10*, 14 is a section adjoining rear wall 9 and between walls 11 and 11 on either side of the cavity 12. The cover as a whole is U-shaped, surrounding the cavity 12 on three sides.

The cabinet is adapted to be rotated in a horizontal plane about a stationary pin 16 secured asat 17 either directly on a counter 19 or on an elevated rectangular base 19' (see Fig. 5) set on such counter 19. Said pin is'rotatably engaged by a bearing 20 secured on a cross member 21 spanning the cavity 12. The cabinet is preferably elevated slightly above the base 19-19 on rollers 22 conveniently mounted in the lower part of the cabinet and concentric with the pivot (see Fi 2, 4 and 5), said rollers being mounte in a manner to rigidly support the cabinet but permitting it to be easily rotated.

The U-shaped cover above described has a number of openings 23, those in sections 13 and 15 being preferablyrectangular, but the o ening in section 14, at the offset, being a rectangular but necessarily elongated. Below said openings and within the cabinet I provide a number of electric bulbs 24 screwed in sockets 25 and adapted to throw light through said openings at certain times for a urpose and by means presently to be descri d.

The front and rear walls 109 are provided with panels 27 and 26 respectively, each of said panels preferably bearing some wording such as the name of the hotel, a short greeting to the approaching guest or other words such as at your service in The cavity 12 is normally occupied by a register board 28 of asize slightly smaller than the cavity. It has a forward transversely arranged downwardly extending flange 28 adapted to rest on a ledge or shelf 29 which is a part of the cabinet and located in the lower front portion of the cavity (see Fig. 5) and the rear edge of the board has a like flange 28 to the lower edge of which is secured one end of each of a number of downwardly curved flat springs 29 (see Figs. 5 and 7). The lower ends of said springs contact with another ledge 30 in the lower front portion of the cavity 12, said springs 29 and the flange 28 normally holding the board 28 in about a common plane with the sloping cover sections 15 of the provided with any suitable means for holdmg an opened registry book (not shown) or preferably for holding (me or more leaves 31 (Fig. 1) of a hotel register or the like.

The cabinet is usually in a position to be read by the clerk backo'f the counter. When a prospective guest or visitor approaches'the clerk swings the cabinet around, about 180;

degrees, so that the party may sign his name on theregister while standing on the oppo site side of the counter. When the guest rests his hand on the register board it will be pressed down from its normal position because of the yielding of the springs 29*, approximately to position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 7. This downward movement causes an electric contact within the cabinet closin a circuit to all of the electric bulbs 24 whic instantly throw light through all the apertures 23 in the cover portions 1314 and 15 of the cabinet. The closing of the circuit is accomplished as follows:

On the platform 19 or counter 19 I secure two metallic rings 32-32" concentric with the pivot shaft 16, said rings connected by wires 3333", respectively, of a cable from any suitable source of current (see Figs. 5 and 6). The cross member 21 of the cabinet is provided at is under side-and each side of its center with two downwardly extending flat spring members 34 of conductive material, each held by a screw 35 at its upper end and its lower end always in contact with one of the rings 32-32; Thus current may be conducted for example from wire 33 to ring 32 thence through spring 34 and screw 35. From there the current may pass through short wires 36 to two other screws 37 which secure the front ends of two spaced, parallel and rearwardly projecting arms 38 of an H-shaped spring frame having a main nietallic cross member 39 and a secondary cross member 40 for bracing (see Figs. 4 and 5). In the middle of cross member 39 I rovide a vertically adjustable screw 41 the ead of which normally contacts with the under side of the register board 28. The free ends of the arms 38 are normally" in spaced relation vertically above another contact screw 42 preferably in a block 43 secured on a cross member 44 or like part in the rear ortion of the cabinet (see Figs- 4 and 5 Thus when the board 28 is depressed as previously described the screw 41 will spring the H-frame downwardly and the rear ends of its arms will contact with the screws 42 permitting current to go through them, thence through wires 45 to another wire 46 conducting current to all the bulbs 24. Return wires 46 from the bulbs 24, carry current to screws 35, through springs 34 which contact with ring 32 and return .current is thence conveyed through wires 33 of cable 33. It will be readily seen that this double contact construction works equally well if only one contact should be made at either screw 42.

The openings 23 of the cabinet are provided each with a light frame 48 frictionally and removably held in such opening (see Figs. 1 and 5). Each frame is preferably divided into a large and a small section, 48 and 48' respectively, the latter preferably containing permanently exposed words such as theater, church, jeweler etc. The larger section contains an upper layer of thin white paper or other translucent material (see lower right hand frame 48*in Fig. 1 and also Fig. 5) covering a glass 50 which may have advertising matter printed or: painted on its surface, similar to a stereopticon slide. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, the jeweler frame 48 contains a colored slide containing an advertisement of a particular firm in the jewelry business. The glass slides being permanently covered by a translucent material 49 the advertising matter is invisible until the lights are turned on by the above described means, disclosing all the panel advertisements simultaneousl When the pressure ceases on the re 'ster 'oard the upward tendency of the H- ame will open the electric circuit by breaking it at screws 42 and the lights are exti ished.

In the front corners of t e frame it may be preferred to put in an inkwell, as 51 at and a frame cover adjacent the sides of said ..panel and substantially in a common plane '22- The structure specified in claim 1, in

which said display means consist of a frame, a transparent element held in. said frame and adapted to have display letters or pictures upon-its surface, translucent material covering said transparent element to normally present a blank surface.

3. The structure specified in claim 1, said.

circuit controlling means consisting of an electrically charged, stationary. ring mounted concentric with the pivot of the frame and adjacent its under side, an H-shaped the H-member, insulated means on the cross bar of said H-member and contacting with the under side of the movable panel, stationa means mounted within the frame and a jacent the free ends of the H-member for making electric contact when said free ends are pressed down by the anel.

4; A register of the class escribed comprising a rectangular frame pivotally mounted on a stat onary element, a vertically movable panel in said frame and a second rin number of fixed panels, an electric circuit, bulbs in said anels and in said circuit, means for illuminating all said panels simul taneously when the movable panel is"pressed down, said means involving a fixed ring on said stationary element an in said electric circuit, means continuouslv contacting with said ring for conducting electric current to the bulbs, further means com rising a ring fixed concentrically with the rst mentioned ring and means on the rotatable frame continuously contacting with said for conducting electric current 30 from said ulbs when the circuit is closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature;

DAVID R. COLLINS. 

